This invention relates to the treatment of living tissues and/or cells by altering their interaction with charged species in their environment. More particularly, the invention relates to an electromagnetic body-treatment device for surgically non-invasive modification of the growth, repair and maintenance behavior of living tissues and cells by a specific and selective change in electrical environment.
Ryaby, et al. U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,105,017, 4,266,532 and 4,266,533 describe means for effecting surgically non-invasive direct inductive coupling to an afflicted body region, whereby one or more electric voltage and concomitant current signals conform to a highly specific pattern and have been found to develop therapeutically beneficial treatment of the afflicted region, as for example in the enhancement of repair of bone fractures, non-unions, and the like. In general, the involved treatment head or heads have involved one or more large coils, which have served well for the treatment of large-member bones, as in leg regions. And various special-purpose coil and head configurations have been disclosed for specific treatments. In general, it may be said that it has been preferred practice to employ a treatment-head configuration in which two like coils are electrically connected in flux-aiding relation and have flexibly articulated connection to enable strapped application on opposite sides of an afflicted limb, and with the coils on a common axis of magnetic-flux development through the afflicted region; in this situation, as in the vast majority of bone-treating uses of such treatment heads, they are removably applied to the outside of a plaster cast or other means of immobilizing the site to be repaired. The coils are therefore bulky and awkward, and they limit freedom of movement while in use.
Pescatore, U.S. Pat. No. 4,501,265, describes a coil configuration wherein bulk is reduced and use is simplified, in that the configuration is unit-handling, does not require strapping, and yet achieves the effect of two spaced coils driven in flux-aiding direction; this effect results from the particular twisting of a single large coil into a figure-8 pattern, to establish two loops which are then folded to establish these loops in spaced parallel relation on a common axis, and the body member to be treated is interposed between the folded loops.
Talish, et al. pending patent application, Ser. No. 473,801 recognizes the desirability of reducing the bulk and awkwardness of conventional coil-head configurations by designing them for castability, i.e., for embedment within an immobilizing cast. But to achieve assurance of adequate in-depth flux development in a given body member, the coils of said application rely upon the recognized effectiveness of two spaced coils, connected in flux-aiding relation.